My latest birthday trip with my bestie was an unforgettable Moroccan adventure centered around the vibrant city of Marrakech. When I decided to explore this new travel destination, my goals were: to explore the desert, discover authentic argan oil, indulge in the flavors of tagine, and immerse myself in the vibrant souk. Negotiating prices at the souk is a common practice, and I was given a key piece of advice during this journey—no hard feelings while negotiating if you do it with a smile. In addition to this crucial lesson, our time in Morocco was filled with numerous other tips and experiences that enriched the journey. So, let’s dive into some of the insights I gained during my Moroccan adventure.
Day 1: Organized Chaos
Tip #1: Get a guide
The souk located in the Medina (Old Town) of Marrakech is overwhelming, to say the least. We were fortunate to be guided through the labyrinth by Ali from Marrakech Untold Stories, who was recommended by a friend. We began the day at the post office right inside Jamaa El Fna Square and promptly moved into the “organized chaos” that is the souk. Traveling down the passageways, one must be aware of not only other pedestrians but also bicycles, motorbikes, donkey carts, people having lively conversations in the middle of the road, and a multitude of wandering cats. If you go in the morning, like we did, shop owners are also cleaning the streets in front of their stores.
The theme for Day 1 was handcrafted goods. We visited a family-owned shoe shop where the grandfather was hand-stitching leather to create traditional Moroccan shoes. Our next stop was another family-owned business specializing in handwoven Berber rugs. We also visited an herbalist with handcrafted, holistic products, many featuring argan oil.
Tip #2: If you don’t see a grinder, question the authenticity.
The making of argan oil is a process that involves tree-climbing goats, spitting, shelling, and grinding. The seeds from the argan tree are processed in two ways. For oil used in cooking, the seeds are roasted before being ground, giving the oil a darker color. For cosmetic use, the seeds are ground without roasting, mixed with water to create a paste. In the cooperatives and shops we visited, we usually saw a woman grinding argan seeds by hand using stone grinders or hand tools. After visiting these places, I realized that if I didn’t see a grinder, I couldn’t trust the oil to be authentic.
Tip #3: Shopping is incomplete without Moroccan tea.
If tea wasn’t offered, did you really go shopping in Morocco? Seriously, how can one properly negotiate without Moroccan tea—served with a bit of sugar or honey? It was a staple in all our shopping experiences on Day 1.
A side note about negotiating for me—telling me “no pressure” makes me feel entirely pressured and slightly anxious, even if that’s not the intent.
Other Day 1 experiences included a tour of Medersa Ben Youssef, a school closed in the 1980s and now a tourist site, a visit to Jardin Majorelle and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, and a brief stop at Cooperative Alghorza, a women’s collective making handmade vintage-style clothing.
Shops to visit in the souk:
- La maison des babouches
- Oulad lamine
- Fadma Rugs
- Herbalism Marrakech
- Caftan al Faan
Day 2: Essaouira
On Day 2, we took a day trip to the coastal town of Essaouira. We explored the souk and ventured to the port, only to promptly return to the pier as the port was overrun in a Hitchcock-esque version of The Birds. Essaouira’s souk was much calmer than Marrakech’s and easier to navigate. We found a lovely shop selling handcrafted wooden goods and ended the excursion with a lemon tart and wine.
Tip: Aspire to the life of a cat in Morocco.
Why aspire to the life of a cat? Throughout the souk, we saw cats living their best lives, napping among Berber rugs and handwoven baskets—the peak of relaxation.
Day 3: Photoshoots and Henna Tattoos
We ventured back to the souk, specifically Medersa Ben Youssef, for a photoshoot experience booked through Airbnb. Since independent navigation of the souk was the bane of my Marrakech experience, we were late for our morning excursion. Fortunately, our photographer Badr was awesome and made the morning much more pleasant, helping to capture our joy in Marrakech.
We followed the shoot with a henna workshop held at a local’s home, Siham, which was also booked through Airbnb. Siham provided a detailed history of henna in both French and English (as our workshop was scheduled with a French speaker). She flawlessly executed our custom henna tattoos. In keeping with tradition, Moroccan tea was served.
The night ended with a celebratory dinner and show at Buddha Bar—another highly recommended place in Marrakech.
Day 4: The High Pour—Moroccan Cooking Class
Day 4 involved another attempt at navigating the Medina. Our hotel had a shuttle that dropped us at Jamaa El-Fna Square, the heart of the souk. Our cooking class was a short walk away, but the winding roads and lack of street signs made it challenging. Nevertheless, we persisted, stopped for directions, and made it to our class—albeit late.
The class began with a trip to the market to buy ingredients: vegetables, fresh herbs, and a freshly slaughtered chicken. After shopping, we enjoyed hibiscus tea while preparing our ingredients. With a bit of 2000s R&B playing in the background, fresh Moroccan spices, two tagines, and a wonderful instructor, we cooked our meal.
Lunch Menu:
- Moroccan salads (roasted eggplant, roasted peppers, tomato, cucumber, and lettuce)
- Chicken tagine
- Vegetable tagine
- Dessert: orange slices with cinnamon and sugar
- Moroccan tea (dried green tea, sugar cube, and fresh mint)
After lunch, our instructor demonstrated the “high pour,” the proper way to serve Moroccan tea. This involves pouring the tea into a glass, raising and lowering the teapot while pouring. The poured tea is then put back in the teapot three times to mix the sugar or honey and cool the tea. The high pour also creates bubbles to protect the tea from desert dust.
Day 5: Writing and Belly Dancing
Another day, another trip to the souk—this time for a calligraphy workshop. Despite our best efforts, navigating the souk was again a colossal fail. Eventually, we found our destination and received instruction in Arabic calligraphy. Writing is hard—that’s the takeaway. You must retrain your brain to write from right to left and use a bamboo stick, shaved to a point at a specific angle, dipped in ink to form letters. We left with practice sheets and nice souvenirs.
The day ended with a private belly dancing class, booked through Airbnb. Here’s the thing – I don’t dance. I have rhythm but I overthink too much to be comfortable just feeling the music. Also that dancer ability to separate and move different parts of my body eludes me.Though I don’t usually dance, cultural immersion is part of our travel journeys, so why not? Naomi, our instructor, gave us a brief history lesson before we attempted to replicate her moves. There was shimmying, rolling, and camel walking. I repeat I don’t dance. I gave a valiant effort albeit an awkward one. The night ended with a full belly dance routine in costume as my special birthday surprise.
Day 6: Mountain Climbing and Camel Riding
If you’ve read any of my other blog posts, you know that an unplanned climbing adventure usually ensues. Day 6 didn’t disappoint—a hike to see a waterfall in the Atlas Mountains. Apparently my best friend and I give off athletic vibes because no one really explained this journey and well things needed a bit more context. So here’s what happened…. Yassine, our guide who helped plan the day’s excursion asked in a deceptively calm voice if we wanted to include a little hike to the waterfall and upon our affirmative answer whether we preferred doing it before or after lunch. We decided on after lunch and another guide was secured for our venture to the waterfall. Everything started off quite relaxing minus a bee that was determined to keep me from enjoying dessert. I should have known this was the calm before the storm. Our waterfall guide, Omar, in another deceptively calm voice said the hike was an hour up and 40 minutes back down. He then set off on a seemingly brisk pace uphill on a winding two-lane road. This was only the beginning. Wooden slat bridges, jagged rocks, steep steps, and even a log bridge were part of the journey. There was even that moment where we were told the journey would only take 10 more minutes only to be told the same thing 20 minutes later. (When I remarked that our guide had given us the 10 min disclaimer 10 minutes prior he retorted we had been taking breaks which made the journey longer. Excuse me for stopping to catch my non-athletic breath). Despite the treacherous terrain, we made it to the first of seven waterfalls (only with Omar’s help). Given our journey up we decided one waterfall was enough and with another brief stop to catch our breath, started the journey back down. Yes, going down was just as tricky as going up.
Tip: The journey is tough, even if your edges are laid.
Along the way, we met some black women debating whether to continue their hike. They remarked that we hadn’t even broken a sweat since my bestie’s edges were still laid. Little did they know, my friend doesn’t really sweat, and the drugstore hair gel she bought in Morocco lived up to its titanium hold promise.
After surviving the climb, we ended the day with a sunset camel ride and dinner in the Agafay Desert. Two stories came out of this camel ride—one a win and the other a loss—but I’ll share those in a separate post.
Day 6 concluded with a dazzling fire show, the perfect end to our Moroccan adventure.
A Memory and a Conversation 
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